The Naked Truth

Raw power play strips president's credibility -- naked truth revealed

From the White House, to Congress, to the streets there seems to be a rash of 'naked' crime. Take for example a fellow in Arizona accused of trying to burglarize a home while naked. He stopped mid-escape to ask the victim for a pair of shorts and was latter arrested next door, apparently trying to steal a car, wearing only the shorts he had 'borrowed.'

The same week, South Carolina police responding to an alarm discovered a naked man who dropped from the ceiling and then attempted to run out the door. The man claimed he was just there to retrieve his lost keys. It seems the man needed to remove his clothing in order to slip into the building through an air vent on the roof.

And in Oregon, a registered sex offender who fashioned a loin cloth from a rope and piece of lawn furniture was arrested near a high school. The nearly-naked fellow had approached four girls asking for a ride to a motel or to the mall (possibly to purchase clothing?). The girls wisely left the scene and alerted authorities who captured the man, still wearing his make-shift loin cloth and covered in fecal matter. Gives an all new meaning to being in deep sh**.

So by now you must be wondering what this has to do with the president.

It's been said of Bush that the emperor has no clothes, and the Miers nomination seems to have confirmed it. Miers is unfit for the office to which she has been nominated and Bush is, in the words of Hans Christian Andersen, "unpardonably stupid." And, because Bush nominated Miers to the Supreme Court he is now in deep doo-doo with religious right conservatives.

For decades religious right activists have organized and built an infrastructure that they thought would lead to a takeover of not only the federal government, but ultimate the Supreme Court. In the 80's one of the most compelling reasons given for supporting Ronald Reagan for president was that he would provide conservatives the opportunity to reshape the Court.

Since the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, religious right conservatives have had the Supreme Court in their sights. They saw control of the court as a way to insure their vision for America would be in place for at least a generation -- ending abortion, and later the movement for gay rights.

Bush wasn't the top choice of religious right conservatives in 2000, but with some arm twisting they were convinced he was the candidate with the best chance to win. So being good foot soldiers they fell into place.

They gave their support to Bush again in 2004, and how has he chosen to repay them? By passing up the opportunity to elevate Scalia or Thomas to Chief Justice and giving them a nominee for the swing seat that has no clear paper trail on abortion.

When questioned on the selection Bush's only response seems to be trust me.

Conservative pundits are furious. And progressives are none too happy either. What progressive could support a woman who thinks Bush is the most brilliant man she has ever known?

So there you have it, the naked truth.